Red Wings Trade Pitch Lands $4.4 Million Rangers Defender

The Red Wings could be a good trade fit for Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider.

The Detroit Red Wings will certainly be a team to keep an eye on once the NHL trade freeze lifts later this month. The Red Wings are currently third place in the Atlantic Division with 72 points, so they should be looking to add to their roster leading up to the deadline. This is especially so when noting that they are looking to end their nine-year playoff drought.

The New York Rangers, on the other hand, are in an entirely different position. The Blueshirts are currently at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with a 22-29-6 record and 50 points. Due to their struggles, Rangers general manager Chris Drury has already started selling. This most notably included him trading star winger Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings.

With the Rangers being in selling mode, the Red Wings would be wise to take advantage of it. One Rangers player who has been very popular in the rumor mill is defenseman Braden Schneider, and there is no question that he would have the potential to be a good addition to the Red Wings’ roster if acquired.

Because of this, we here at Heavy Sports have a trade pitch that has the Rangers moving Schneider to the Red Wings.

Red Wings Get:

Rangers Get:

• 2026 Second-Round Pick
• William Wallinder

Rangers’ Braden Schneider Is a Trade Candidate to Watch

With the Rangers being open for business, Schneider has been discussed often in the rumor mill as a trade candidate. Due to this, the right-shot defenseman was recently given the No. 30 spot on NHL insider Chris Johnston’s latest trade board for The Athletic.

“Schneider is a pending restricted free agent, which means that someone is really going to have to compel the Rangers to part with a player still under team control. But they’re open to having those conversations right now,” Johnston wrote.

With the Rangers being willing to listen to offers for Schneider, the Red Wings would be wise to pursue him. It is no secret that the Red Wings need to improve the right side of their defense, and bringing in a young blueliner like Schneider would do just that.

Furthermore, with Schneider still being only 24 years old, he could be an excellent pickup for a team on the rise, like the Red Wings. In addition, he is still young enough that he could get better if given a change of scenery. With this, he is exactly the kind of defenseman that the Red Wings should consider taking a flier on.

Schneider Would Be a Clear Fit in the Red Wings’ Lineup

When looking at the Red Wings’ current group, there is no question that Schneider would be a good fit on their blueline. At a minimum, he could work well on their bottom pairing with Albert Johansson. However, he would also give the Red Wings another option to work with for their second pairing and penalty kill.

Nevertheless, it will be very interesting to see if the Red Wings can swing a deal for Schneider. The fit looks very good on paper.

Michael DeRosa Michael covers the NHL for Heavy.com. He has professionally covered the NHL since 2017 and has written for other publications like The Hockey News, BetMGM, Athlon Sports, and The Hockey Writers. More about Michael DeRosa